After telling other family and friends, including Delaware Gov. Jack Markell, over a fourth-month period, McBride was contemplating how to come out to the broader American University community. Not wanting the second half of her term as president to be overshadowed by her transitioning, she waited until it was nearly finished. She decided on a Facebook note, and within an hour the editor of the student newspaper [Zach Cohen] walked into her office.

He wanted to know two things. Should the paper be using her new name, Sarah, and female pronouns? “Absolutely.” And would she consider condensing her Facebook post as an op/ed for the next day’s issue?

“I remember walking into the student newspaper office after I’d posted this online, so word had already gotten out. I remember everyone just sort of staring at me. No one knew what to do as I walked back into the editor’s office to condense my Facebook post. But when I came out of there everyone had big smiles on their faces and people gave me hugs,” she recalls. “It really was nothing but love and support.”

In a time that has seen high-profile journalists like Katie Couric and Piers Morgan face criticism for how they’ve conducted interviews with transgender celebrities, McBride says the students at The Eagle acted exactly “how we want the media to be when covering trans issues.”

I’m thrilled to announce that two journalism projects I worked on in the past year have been recognized by the Society of Professional Journalists!

The storyHeather Mongilio and I wrote after the disappearance of The Eagle‘s last print edition (that featured a cover story on an investigation of TKE hazing) is a finalist for a Mark of Excellence Award for breaking news coverage.

I try not to ask much from you, but this is a time where I feel I must.

I got my start in journalism at The Eagle, American University’s student newspaper since 1925. I took every assignment I could get my hands on and eventually from there became a Student Government beat reporter. They liked me enough to give me a section editing position and finally editor-in-chief. The Eagle taught me everything I needed to know in order to be a journalist in Washington, D.C.

At the same time, the staff dutifully dropped papers and homework to cover breaking news, which has included everything from gunmen to rallies. The Eagle has been on the forefront of sports and A&E coverage on campus and gives young journalists the opportunity to cover the events in Washington alongside professional journalists.

It has won more awards from the Society of Professional Journalists than I can remember, and Eagle staffers every year win scholarships through outside journalism organizations. They serve in internships at national and local news organizations and graduate to become major newsmakers and storytellers. Alumni of The Eagle currently work at The Washington Post, USA Today, NBC, Turner, the White House and more.

The Eagle has tirelessly worked for the American University community. Now it needs your help.

The Eagle’s financial stability, like that of countless other newspapers across the country, is in question. Declining advertising revenue forced The Eagle to lose its weekly print edition last year. The staff has adopted a digital-first approach and is making money with a redesigned website in cooperation with the Student Media Board. The burdens this placed on the staff should have been greater and was only lessened by their untiring dedication to journalism on campus and the generous support of alumni.

But there’s work to be done. To ensure The Eagle has the funds every year to innovate and provide the journalism AU needs, and the training its staff needs to compete in the global workforce, it needs more than just advertising revenue and allocations from AU.

Enter The Eagle Innovation Fund. If we raise $10,000 by April 25, the university will set up a permanent endowment, the interest from which will fund The Eagle in the years to come, allowing its journalists to focus on the business of journalism rather than on the business of making money.

If you care about journalism on campus and across the country, here is one place where your donation, as big or as small as it needs to be, will make a difference. Help The Eagle do what it has proven it can do: Shine a light on AU and train journalists to report on the world.

If you’ve ever read, commented on or shared a story from The Eagle…or picked up print edition…

If you know somebody who works in journalism and know how hard they work…

If you know somebody who lost their job in journalism despite all the work they did..

If you’ve ever covered breaking news…

If you’ve ever spent a night on deadline…

You know what it takes to make journalism happen. Help us continue to do it. Donate today.

Members of Greek life organizations are finding it more difficult to enter and decorate new members’ rooms during Big/Little Week in accordance with new regulations.

Student Activities created the regulations to coincide with Housing and Dining rules in the Student Conduct Code to reduce trespassing, said Curtis Burrill, the University Center’s assistant director for fraternity and sorority life.

Read the rest of the story at The Eagle, which includes interviews with student leaders in Greek life on the changes to a longstanding AU tradition.

Starting off the new year in journalism by creating a photo gallery for The Eagle on the opening of American University’s School of Communication’s new home in the McKinley Building. Though up and running, there are still plenty of areas under construction.

American U. evacuated all on- and off-campus buildings for a short period of time following a 5.9 magnitude that rocked the eastern United States Tuesday.

No one on campus was injured in the earthquake and there was no apparent damage to any AU buildings, according to emails from the University.

The earthquake, centered in Mineral, Va., started around 1:51 p.m. and lasted less than a minute.

Do you know where these stories eventually appeared? Because I don’t. UWire asks its clients, of which The Eagle is one, to publish the story in print, not online, to retain the value of the original publisher’s post.

If you saw these stories in print anywhere other than The Eagle, please let me know and comment on this post.